The 'Careless Whisper' singer contracted pneumonia late last year and says his brush with death has taught him to live in the moment more.

He said: ''What I have learned from coming so close to death, is that it makes no sense to plan for the future in detail. Because you never know what lurks around the corner.

''I'll give myself over now to following the flow of life. But of course I'll continue to make music. And I will travel a bit with [partner] Fadi. So perhaps a longer holiday is the plan.''

However, before he can take a holiday, George needs to finish working on his new album and can't wait for his fans to hear the finished work.

He said: ''I'm back in the studio working very hard and love it. I would say this album is in terms of content somewhere between 'Faith' and 'Older'. It is pretty fast and I'm sure my fans will like it. It will be released early next year, but I don't have a title for it yet.''

Despite decades of success, George has no idea why he has stayed so popular but will never get complacent about his talent.

He told Kurier.at: ''I do not know how that happened. I honestly do not know. But I'm still here and my new single 'White Light' suggests that I'm not ready to surrender.

''In my business, success is something that slips away easily after a while. And not only the success but also the healthy self-doubt, it takes that to keep trying to be even better.

''I always think of the possibility that I lost and did not notice. And that's exciting. On the day that I'm not worried about that anymore, I should stop [making music].

''When you get complacent about your talent, then it can only drift. But it is far less likely to happen if we realise what a privilege it is, in this business, to be talented and successful.''